Could this take 10 years off your face?

Exactly how does the hyaluronic acid (HA) injectable treatment work? Though based on the familiar HA that I love so much, I’ve discovered it’s not a filler. Instead, it works at a different level to effectively bio-remodel the skin. It restores skin health by stimulating hydration, collagen and elastin. I tried it in Singapore with Stephanie Ho at Stephanie Ho Dermatology – read on for my Profhilo review.

Profhilo in Singapore

After a couple of years away, I’m thrilled to be back once more in sizzling Singapore. Especially as it means an appointment with top consultant dermatologist Dr Stephanie Ho. She trained in the UK and has over two decades of experience in the burgeoning field of aesthetics and facial rejuvenation.

I’ve long believed in a multi-pronged approach to skincare. For me, the basis is good sleep, great nutrition, daily photo-biomodulation with my red-light panel, and a generally healthy lifestyle. Add to that a bit of laser now and then, a dollop of ultrasound or radiofrequency here and there, a medical facial in between – whatever the budget allows, really.

And I love lasers, having been lucky enough to try various types over my years with Expat Living. As Dr Stephanie explains, different lasers target different concerns and can effectively be used in conjunction with one another to achieve optimal results.

She has seven different machines, each of them voted best in their category.  “For sunspots and pigmentation, for example, I use the pigment laser Picoway” she says. “For redness, broken blood vessels and even rosacea, I use my superb VBeam laser. And fractional CO2 is ideal for treating acne scars or fine lines.”

Injectables for rejuvenation

Then there are the injectables, like wrinkle-smoothing Botox – for some of us, almost indispensable as the years go by. And fillers, of course.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is nothing new, explains Dr Stephanie Ho. It’s a natural component of our skin, and an ingredient in many topical moisturisers – in fact, it’s the basic ingredient of my current everyday moisturiser. It’s also the main ingredient in the facial fillers that have become so popular in recent years to (a) plump up the face for a more youthful look, (b) deliver poutier lips, (c) inject directly into frown lines and other deeper wrinkles to make them disappear immediately.

So, what makes Profhilo rejuvenation different from other HAs in the market? For one thing, it’s more highly concentrated. Secondly, it’s thermally stabilised so that it lasts longer in the body before being broken down – up to 28 days, giving it longer to work its magic.

The science behind Profhilo rejuvenation

Profhilo uses a patented hybrid NAHYCO technology for skin bio-remodelling, which probably means about as much to you as it does to me. In case you are actually a rocket scientist, I can explain that it combines high and low molecular weight HA complexes in three phases:

• first, the two weights of HA are combined;
• then, a thermal (heat) process breaks down hydrogen bonds, enabling the two weights of HA to unite;
• as it cools, it forms a new, stabilised hybrid cooperative complex that is capable of resisting being broken down by the enzyme hyaluronidase for a longer time – up to 28 days.

Why the two different molecular weights of HA? Well, the lower molecular weight HA attracts water, giving a hydrating effect; while the higher weight HA adds volume by providing a “stable dermal scaffold”. Together, they increase the skin’s elasticity and hydration to provide a hydro-lifting action.

Who is Profhilo rejuvenation for?

It’s for someone who wants natural-looking enhancement, says Dr Stephanie. Unlike a filler, no-one will know you have done anything. It’s suitable from the age of 30 onwards; anyone younger might not see much of a change. For especially crepey skin, extensive fat loss or hollowing, she might suggest combining it with some filler, too.

Interestingly, Profhilo seems to achieve even more striking effects on finer, thinner skin like mine. But that’s only fair, as my Caucasian skin type is more prone with age to wrinkles and sagging. So, here’s my first Profhilo review!

My Profhilo review

Dr Stephanie Ho has kindly described my neck as “very good”; I’m assuming she means “for your age”. (Which need not be dwelt on here.) To be frank, I’ve noticed a touch of crepiness, especially in selfies, that I’m eager to stave off. So when she suggests doing both face and neck, I’m keen as the proverbial mustard.

Though the Profhilo injections take no more than ten minutes, you can add on an hour for the numbing cream to take effect. Meanwhile, I relax in one of the waiting rooms at Stephanie Ho Dermatology – a private one, happily, as the shower-cap-and-Glad-Wrap look is probably not my best.

Then I’m whisked into the treatment room, where the numbing cream is wiped away. And with two friendly and efficient assistants on hand, the total of 20 injections – five on each side of the face, a total of ten on the neck – are quickly done and dusted, with no time for tears. It’s not painless, but I find it manageable.

After the Profhilo treatment

I’m left with some facial redness that’s gone within a couple of hours. (Never thought I’d say this, but thank goodness for face masks.) Tell-tale lumps on my neck will take a couple of days to subside completely. But I remind myself that other people aren’t looking as closely at us as we think they are.

The main thing I’m left with, though, is the promise of up to 12 times more collagen in my face and neck. Within two weeks, the hydration will be evident; within a few months, I’ll start seeing the lift. As a follow-up to this Profhilo review, I’ll be back for the second treatment in a month’s time. After that, Dr Stephanie recommends a maintenance treatment every four to six months.

The cost of one Profhilo treatment for face or neck is $1,200.

Postlogue: Why I love Profhilo

A couple of months after my Profhilo Singapore review, I have just returned from my first trip to South Africa in three years. Several old friends remarked on how great my skin was, and how young I was looking. One highly observant cousin even asked if I’d put on weight – (I hadn’t) – because my face used to look a bit gaunt, and no longer did. Sadly for South Africans, Prohilo isn’t yet available there. Aren’t we lucky here in Singapore!

About Dr Stephanie Ho, Profhilo Singapore provider

A British-trained consultant dermatologist with more than two decades of medical experience, Dr Ho is registered as a skin specialist in both Singapore and the UK. Her areas of interest include skin cancer screening, surgical removal of skin lesions, use of lasers for aesthetic rejuvenation, and looking after the skin of children and adolescents. Find her at Stephanie Ho Dermatology.

Stephanie Ho Dermatology
#08-05 Scotts Medical Centre
9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza
6262 0880 | stephanieho.com.sg